"Collaboration"

Off on the wrong foot.

Right. I suppose Stein was obliged to say so, in furtherance of some “Let’s hold the opposition’s feet to the fire” purely political rhetoric that no one believes, least of all him. (I shudder to think that we might have elected a guy that believes this nonsense or thinks that the opposition is even listening.)

Not to move too far off the mark for a moment, but I have my own thoughts on the nature of social development, generally, and politics these days. With apologies to MLK, Jr.: The thing that capitalism, religion and political movements share is the long arc of those endeavors bend towards monopoly.

Not an earth-shaking observation to be sure. Neither rule nor riches is an end, the acquisition of either accrues to the other, and enables the possessor to make decisions about the well-being and lives of others. Accordingly, capitalism demands restraint. In a democratic socialist state, wealth is moderated by the obligation to share with the less fortunate, to provide health care, housing, a safe environment, education, retirement. Our founding fathers tried, in our Constitutions (state and federal) to provide tensions that required – at least – some public welfare to be a factor in our political fabric.

Without dragging the matter out, suffice to say that on more than one occasion, conservative capitalism and Christian nationalism has ruled the day, and to no good end. The “manifest destiny” that imprisoned North American natives on reservations, that relied on slavery as a means of production – so much so that the mentality of inequality is woven throughout our social systems – the ascendence of the “robber barons” that brought about a near-complete collapse of the American enterprise; all predicated on the unrestrained acquisition of money and power. And here we are again, with some new twists. The balance of powers is compromised, the fourth estate is in tatters, and the rule of law no longer applies.

There are certain inevitabilities in life. Insert lengthy dissertation on climate change here. And just as the climate crisis begins to rise (oh, no, the crescendo is yet to come. I won’t live to see it. My children probably will.) so it is with the dénouement of American democracy. We are all firefighters now. Unfortunately, firefighting is not enough. As with climate change, it’s the underlying political conditions that need to change – gerrymandering, Citizens United, the Electoral College, and so on. That point may be past. Nevertheless, the fires still need to be fought. Ergo, I stand with you, Governor Stein – even when you say unfortunate Chamberlain-esq things to and about the people who are coming to build a new Reich.